A new data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) showed a significant drop in the number of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing website users in Sweden following a tighter government crackdown on illegal activities using the platform.
In a country where 40 percent of the people are active users of file-sharing sites, Sweden has always been ranked as one of the top copyright infringement violators in the world. But with the recent implementation of various laws against illegal P2P use, the number of people logging in on file-sharing websites has significantly dropped.
According to IFPI Sweden Chairperson Ludvig Werner, of the 40 plus percent, six out of 10 have stopped using file-sharing websites complete, or have significantly limited their use of the platform after the government passed new legislations.
Launched in April 2009, the new law allows copyright holders, like those in the music industry, to acquire access on sensitive and personal information of users through their Internet Service Providers.
Once identified, record labels and movie makers can now file the necessary lawsuit against the illegal file sharers. Most of the cases filed asked for damages claims and steep penalties.
In June 2009, the IFPI, an international organization that represents the interests of the recording industry, has released a study regarding the music habits and consumption of some 1, 006 Swedish nationals, aged 15 to 75.
The study revealed that even younger generations of Swedes use file-sharing websites to download and share music files with their network of friend. In fact, they are the number one offenders of copyright laws.
It was very far from the recent findings of another research group, which intentionally excluded the young people from the survey. Also, contrary to what the earlier study said, the younger Swedes have actually overtaken the adult users.
But with the new law in effect, the more than 2.8 million file-sharing users in the country have been slashed down into several hundreds of thousands, which is a welcoming development for the government and the music industry, but a threat era for critics.